Apple’s on-screen keyboards and auto correction technology isn’t half bad in iOS, but it’s still fair to say that consuming text on the iPad is an easier endeavour than entering it. The Cupertino company’s own iPad Keyboard Dock is one way to address the issue, though not especially portable; the GearZap iPad KeyCase – sold by AIDACASE in the US – attempts to remedy that, being a combination Bluetooth keyboard and folio case. Have our typing prayers been answered? Check out the full review after the cut.
There’s not much in the box: the case itself, a short USB to microUSB to charge it, and a poorly translated user guide. Made from reasonably convincing black imitation leather, the KeyCase has a strong dual-magnet clasp and a snuggly fitting section for the iPad to slot into. Cutouts leave the home button, power/sleep, microphone and headphone socket, volume rocker, orientation lock and dock connector accessible, and there are holes punched through to line up with the speaker on the bottom edge.
The keyboard itself is decidedly rubbery, the keys more Spectrum ZX than a regular Bluetooth ‘board. Layout is a mixture of Apple’s regular keys and and iPad-specific buttons, including Home, volume up/down/mute, play/pause, skip-forward, skip-back and search. There’s also a keyboard button which can show or hide the on-screen keyboard (which, when the KeyCase is paired, automatically stays hidden during text entry).
On the top right of the keyboard is a large Connect button, which puts the KeyCase into pairing mode (or resumes the Bluetooth connection should either iPad or keyboard go into sleep mode), and on the side a microUSB port for charging and a tiny power switch. The latter is the one particularly cheap-feeling part of the KeyCase, and we wish they’d gone for a sturdier toggle. Three blue LEDs show Bluetooth, charging and power status.
Pairing proved straightforward, a matter of powering on the keyboard, holding down the Connect button and then choosing the “Keyboard” entry from the iPad’s Bluetooth menu in the settings page. After typing in a passcode on the KeyCase we were ready to go; subsequently all we needed to do was turn the KeyCase on and it would reconnect (though you can also force that by tapping the Connect button briefly).
With rubbery keys you can’t expect the best typing experience, and sure enough the KeyCase isn’t going to replace a proper hardware ‘board. Travel is relatively shallow, and there isn’t enough clicky responsiveness to each button to feel entirely confident. At 8.25 x 3.5 inches it’s obviously considerably smaller than a a full-sized keyboard, too.